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ARMEN MARTIROSYAN: ANOTHER SITUATION SIMILAR TO DEATH OF SOLDIER LUKS STEPANYAN MAY SPARK A REVOLUTION IN ARMENIA
ArmInfo's interview with Armen Martirosyan, Deputy Chairman of Heritage Party
by David Stepanyan
Thursday, May 30, 12:36
It has been argued recently in Armenia that the public must fight
for its rights through civil movements amid degrading oppositional
political parties. We'd like to listen to the opinion of an
oppositionist...
Incidentally, many statements by some representatives of the so-called
civil movements, saying that the opposition is weak, incapable and
seeks power only with a purpose to spoil the people, coincide with
the statements by the authorities. I'd like to recall that it was
the Heritage party that was at the origins of the civil movement
in Armenia. When the people had any complaint or displeasure, we
were next to them and were trying to get observance of their civil
rights. Certainly, in some cases the power represented by the RPA
members has counterarguments against the opposition, represented by
the ANC. The authorities say that they learned from the former power,
the current opposition, how to falsify elections. In this context,
Heritage is the only party against which such argumentation is
senseless, taking into account the fact that Heritage party has never
been a part of the power, and has never broken the law. There are no
medium-sized or big businessmen among the Heritage party members. For
this reason, any clash of interests is also ruled out.
Taking into consideration such an invincibility, the authorities
have nothing else to do than from time to time to blame us for
"being guided from outside", although according to the results of
the last presidential election, we see that just the RPA appeals to
the opinion "from outside". The only argument of the RPA in favor of
Serzh Sargsyan's victory were the congratulations and recognition
of the results of the presidential election by the leaders of
several countries. At the same time, they did not want to remember
that in its final report on the presidential election in Armenia,
the OSCE ODIHR characterized the authorities of the republic like
partycrats. In the meanwhile, partycracy makes impossible free,
fair and transparent elections.
Well, where does it concern civil movements?
Those wishing to organize a civic movement in Armenia must stop trying
to reinvent the wheel. The civilized world has long proved that the
best weapon of political struggle is a political party. As a rule,
civic movements are not independent and are sponsored and guided by
political forces. So, those calling themselves civic movements and
saying that the times of political parties have gone are just trying
to sling mud at the opposition and Heritage Party.
Did the civic movements bear any relations to the protest actions in
Armavir region, protests of the parents of killed soldiers etc?
All of the recent protest actions were just a spontaneous expression
of people's displeasure rather than a specific campaign organized by
civic movements. It is not they who have made people active. People
are active because they have run out of patience. Heritage was by
their side during all of the actions. Our duty is to support them.
However, globally, there are no civic movements in Armenia.
The Authorities have found themselves in rather hard situation
following the latest social and economic challenges. How will the
government settle the emerging problems?
I think the Government will not solve our problems because it cannot
and does not want to do it. The point is that their interests do not
coincide with the interests of their people. While banks worldwide
were facing a crisis, Armenian banks were recording growing profits
- as much as 28% in 2012 alone. This was achieved at the expense of
the economy, while normally banks should be drivers of economy. Our
foreign debt is swelling to a dangerous size, but our regime is doing
nothing to stop this. They are not willing to lose their profits,
and so, they will be just maneuvering. The Government's decision
to partly subsidize the gas tariff was unacceptable. How can they
equally subsidize a millionaire who spends thousands of US dollars
to heat his palace and a pensioner who can hardly find 1,000 AMD for
his small flat?
What do you think of the prime minister's idea to subsidize the rise
in the gas price via issue of Eurobonds?
Prime Minister's idea to subsidize 30% of the rise in the gas tariff
by issuing eurobonds is just an attempt to mask one more increase in
the country's foreign debt.
What do you think of the aggravating domestic political and social
situation in Armenia?
If such a social and economic situation arose in other more
civilized than Armenia countries, it would open a direct way to the
revolution. The ratio between the incomes of wealthy people to the
poor ones by four and even six times is considered to be normal,
from six to eight times - dangerous, and from eight and more - may
cause revolution. According to the official data, in Armenia the
ratio between wealthy and poor people is twenty to one. The total
of 600 thsd poor families have been living in Armenia, according
to the official data, there are the families with medium income and
rich families are just 100,000. So, there are many preconditions for
making revolution in Armenia. But taking into account some obstacles,
it is not clear if a revolution is possible in Armenia or not. First
of all, it is not clear if the Armenian society itself is ready for
revolution. It is not clear either, what direction external levers
will work to, as till today, thanks to infringing upon the national
interest, our foreign partners were just protecting and supporting the
authorities. For their part, the authorities expressed readiness to
settle the Karabakh conflict on the basis of the "Madrid principles",
they also signed the Zurich protocols and in general it has become a
tradition for them to incline head at a whistle from outside to the
detriment of the national interests of Armenia. The possibility of
the opposition consolidation causes many problems. I am confident that
in case of consolidation, an absolutely new situation will appear in
Armenia, when the authorities will find themselves in a situation not
to be able to make a step without adoption of extraordinary decisions.
Nevertheless, the statement by the head of the IMF mission in
Armenia, Mark Horton, and resident representative of IMF in Armenia,
Guillermo Tolosa, in which they called on the Armenian authorities
to make radical reforms, are rather symptomatic for the authorities
of Armenia in this context. The external challenges, the explosive
situation in the region and in the Karabakh conflict, all this may
become the reason of revolt in the republic. I did not want to say
about that, but repetition of the situation similar to the death of
a soldier Luks Stepanyan may spark a revolution in Armenia. This time
the authorities managed to neutralize the spark, but it is not clear
if they will manage to do that next time.
http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=397AD6A0-C904-11E2-90E7F6327207157C
ArmInfo's interview with Armen Martirosyan, Deputy Chairman of Heritage Party
by David Stepanyan
Thursday, May 30, 12:36
It has been argued recently in Armenia that the public must fight
for its rights through civil movements amid degrading oppositional
political parties. We'd like to listen to the opinion of an
oppositionist...
Incidentally, many statements by some representatives of the so-called
civil movements, saying that the opposition is weak, incapable and
seeks power only with a purpose to spoil the people, coincide with
the statements by the authorities. I'd like to recall that it was
the Heritage party that was at the origins of the civil movement
in Armenia. When the people had any complaint or displeasure, we
were next to them and were trying to get observance of their civil
rights. Certainly, in some cases the power represented by the RPA
members has counterarguments against the opposition, represented by
the ANC. The authorities say that they learned from the former power,
the current opposition, how to falsify elections. In this context,
Heritage is the only party against which such argumentation is
senseless, taking into account the fact that Heritage party has never
been a part of the power, and has never broken the law. There are no
medium-sized or big businessmen among the Heritage party members. For
this reason, any clash of interests is also ruled out.
Taking into consideration such an invincibility, the authorities
have nothing else to do than from time to time to blame us for
"being guided from outside", although according to the results of
the last presidential election, we see that just the RPA appeals to
the opinion "from outside". The only argument of the RPA in favor of
Serzh Sargsyan's victory were the congratulations and recognition
of the results of the presidential election by the leaders of
several countries. At the same time, they did not want to remember
that in its final report on the presidential election in Armenia,
the OSCE ODIHR characterized the authorities of the republic like
partycrats. In the meanwhile, partycracy makes impossible free,
fair and transparent elections.
Well, where does it concern civil movements?
Those wishing to organize a civic movement in Armenia must stop trying
to reinvent the wheel. The civilized world has long proved that the
best weapon of political struggle is a political party. As a rule,
civic movements are not independent and are sponsored and guided by
political forces. So, those calling themselves civic movements and
saying that the times of political parties have gone are just trying
to sling mud at the opposition and Heritage Party.
Did the civic movements bear any relations to the protest actions in
Armavir region, protests of the parents of killed soldiers etc?
All of the recent protest actions were just a spontaneous expression
of people's displeasure rather than a specific campaign organized by
civic movements. It is not they who have made people active. People
are active because they have run out of patience. Heritage was by
their side during all of the actions. Our duty is to support them.
However, globally, there are no civic movements in Armenia.
The Authorities have found themselves in rather hard situation
following the latest social and economic challenges. How will the
government settle the emerging problems?
I think the Government will not solve our problems because it cannot
and does not want to do it. The point is that their interests do not
coincide with the interests of their people. While banks worldwide
were facing a crisis, Armenian banks were recording growing profits
- as much as 28% in 2012 alone. This was achieved at the expense of
the economy, while normally banks should be drivers of economy. Our
foreign debt is swelling to a dangerous size, but our regime is doing
nothing to stop this. They are not willing to lose their profits,
and so, they will be just maneuvering. The Government's decision
to partly subsidize the gas tariff was unacceptable. How can they
equally subsidize a millionaire who spends thousands of US dollars
to heat his palace and a pensioner who can hardly find 1,000 AMD for
his small flat?
What do you think of the prime minister's idea to subsidize the rise
in the gas price via issue of Eurobonds?
Prime Minister's idea to subsidize 30% of the rise in the gas tariff
by issuing eurobonds is just an attempt to mask one more increase in
the country's foreign debt.
What do you think of the aggravating domestic political and social
situation in Armenia?
If such a social and economic situation arose in other more
civilized than Armenia countries, it would open a direct way to the
revolution. The ratio between the incomes of wealthy people to the
poor ones by four and even six times is considered to be normal,
from six to eight times - dangerous, and from eight and more - may
cause revolution. According to the official data, in Armenia the
ratio between wealthy and poor people is twenty to one. The total
of 600 thsd poor families have been living in Armenia, according
to the official data, there are the families with medium income and
rich families are just 100,000. So, there are many preconditions for
making revolution in Armenia. But taking into account some obstacles,
it is not clear if a revolution is possible in Armenia or not. First
of all, it is not clear if the Armenian society itself is ready for
revolution. It is not clear either, what direction external levers
will work to, as till today, thanks to infringing upon the national
interest, our foreign partners were just protecting and supporting the
authorities. For their part, the authorities expressed readiness to
settle the Karabakh conflict on the basis of the "Madrid principles",
they also signed the Zurich protocols and in general it has become a
tradition for them to incline head at a whistle from outside to the
detriment of the national interests of Armenia. The possibility of
the opposition consolidation causes many problems. I am confident that
in case of consolidation, an absolutely new situation will appear in
Armenia, when the authorities will find themselves in a situation not
to be able to make a step without adoption of extraordinary decisions.
Nevertheless, the statement by the head of the IMF mission in
Armenia, Mark Horton, and resident representative of IMF in Armenia,
Guillermo Tolosa, in which they called on the Armenian authorities
to make radical reforms, are rather symptomatic for the authorities
of Armenia in this context. The external challenges, the explosive
situation in the region and in the Karabakh conflict, all this may
become the reason of revolt in the republic. I did not want to say
about that, but repetition of the situation similar to the death of
a soldier Luks Stepanyan may spark a revolution in Armenia. This time
the authorities managed to neutralize the spark, but it is not clear
if they will manage to do that next time.
http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=397AD6A0-C904-11E2-90E7F6327207157C